The post This Week In Running: April 27, 2026 appeared first on iRunFar.
From California’s China Wall to China’s Great Wall, there was a lot happening this weekend!
You can also check out our other race coverage from the weekend:
2026 Madeira Island Ultra-Trail 110k Results: Victory for Katharina Hartmuth and Vincent Esmiol
2026 Canyons by UTMB 100k Results: Adam Peterman and Riley Brady Take Home Wins
Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB – Auburn, California
100 Mile
The 100-mile race started on Friday, April 24, and ran point-to-point on a downhill course.
Aroa Sío (Spain) won the women’s race and finished second overall in 19:24. Sío was incredibly in the second overall spot for the entirety of the race. Alyssa Clark was the second woman in 19:44, and Amanda Basham was the third woman in 20:16. Clark and Basham were also the race’s overall third- and fourth-place finishers, and five of the overall top 10 were women.
Men’s champ Noa Ohms (Germany) was way out in front in 17:50. He was two-and-a-half hours better than the next man. Second- and third-place José Varcasia (Italy) and Jhonathan Castano (Colombia) finished in 20:20 and 20:49, respectively.
100k
The 100-kilometer race was the event’s marquee distance. It was a Golden Ticket race with three automatic entries to this year’s Western States 100 for women and three more for the men, too. The race went point-to-point from the China Wall trailhead to the finish in Auburn.
Women
Riley Brady got their groove back. Brady won the 2025 Black Canyon 100k but was just ninth at this year’s race in February. Then came an 11th-place finish at March’s Big Alta 50k. Two weeks ago, things started to shift, and Brady was third at the Gorge Waterfalls 30k. And then it all came together at Canyons, and Brady won the race in 9:41. They’re going back to Western States now with eyes on improving on 2023’s 14th-place finish. Brady’s finish time was five minutes better than Emily Hawgood’s 2025 first-place mark. Brady identifies as non-binary and competes in the women’s race.
Careth Arnold was more than four minutes in front of Brady at the mile 36 Cal 2 checkpoint, but fell to second in the latter half and finished there in 9:56. Third-place Sarah Allaben came in at 10:14.
Second-place Arnold and third-place Allaben declined their Golden Tickets, and Brady, fourth-place Sarah Humble, and fifth-place Ellaney Matarese all accepted.
Riley Brady won the 2026 Canyons by UTMB 100k and earned a Western States 100 Golden TIcket. Photo: Howie Stern/The Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB
The women’s top five were:
Riley Brady – 9:41
Careth Arnold – 9:56
Sarah Allaben – 10:14
Sarah Humble – 10:18
Ellaney Matarese – 10:29
Pre-race favorites Addie Bracy, Anne Flower, and Claudia Tremps (Spain) did not finish.
Men
At the Cal 2 36-mile checkpoint, Adam Peterman was just over two minutes in front of second-place Can-Hua Luo (China). Everyone chased, but Peterman was uncatchable the rest of the way. He won in 8:18. Peterman won here in 2022, too, and went on to win Western States 100 later that summer.
With Peterman out in front, it became a three-man race for the last two Golden Tickets with several position changes in the final miles. In the end, Zach Miller finished as runner-up in 8:21.
And then Hayden Hawks worked for what would be the final Golden Ticket. Hawks passed Luo in the final four miles to finish third in 8:23.
Luo’s late-race slide stopped in a hard-luck fourth at 8:25.
Peterman, Miller, and Hawks took the race’s three Golden Ticket entries to Western States and will add a ton of firepower to that race.
Adam Peterman, 2026 Canyons by UTMB 100k champion. Photo: Howie Stern/The Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB
The men’s top five were:
Adam Peterman – 8:18
Zach Miller – 8:21
Hayden Hawks – 8:23
Can-Hua Luo (China) – 8:25
Canyon Woodward – 8:38
Counted as among the pre-race favorites, Will Murray was 11th in 9:16.
50k
Women
The women’s race was a much-anticipated match-up between Makena Morley, Lauren Gregory, and Molly Seidel.
All three are former NCAA Division I track and cross country runners. Morley has run 2:30 for a road marathon and won last year’s Kodiak 50k, Gregory was stepping up to the 50k distance, and Olympic Marathon bronze medalist Seidel was in the middle of her Western States prep.
Morley opened a nearly two-minute lead on Gregory near halfway, and went on to win in 3:47. Gregory finished second four minutes later, and Seidel was third in 4:07.
Both Morley and Gregory bettered Dani Moreno’s former 3:52 course record from 2024.
The women’s top five was:
Makena Morley – 3:47
Lauren Gregory – 3:51
Molly Seidel – 4:07
Taylor Deal – 4:11
Sofie Schunk – 4:20
Men
The men’s course record went down, too. Second a year ago, Matt Daniels was all alone at the front this year. Daniels rocketed to a 3:21 finish, three minutes better than Seth Ruhling’s year-old former course best. Daniels will next race the Transvulcania Ultramarathon in May.
Jupiter Carera Casas (Mexico) was second in 3:34, and Ryan Forsyth (Ireland) was third 3:35. Forsyth ran at the University of Colorado alongside women’s winner Morley and men’s 100k winner Peterman.
The men’s top five was:
Matt Daniels – 3:21
Jupiter Carera Casas (Mexico) – 3:34
Ryan Forsyth (Ireland) – 3:35
Cyril Pasturel (France) – 3:44
Eric Hamel – 3:45
25k
The short-course race was on Friday, April 24, and Alice Baquie (Australia) won the women’s race by 45 seconds over Grace Eversaul. The two finished in 2:12 and 2:13. Aubrey Roberts was third in 2:17.
David Sinclair got a Transvulcania Ultramarathon tune-up and won the men’s race. He finished in 1:36. Trail upstart Ares Reading was 41 seconds behind in 1:37, and Gus Gibbs was third in 1:44.
Madeira Island Ultra-Trail – Madeira, Portugal
The MIUT Legend and MIUT Discover races were both part of the World Trail Majors.
MIUT Legend
The long course island traverse started as the clock struck midnight on Saturday, and went 109k with 7,165 meters of climbing. That’s nearly 68 miles and 23,500 feet. Most of the climbing was in the race’s first half.
Women
Katharina Hartmuth (Germany) boat-raced it. It wasn’t close, and she won by nearly an hour in 14:54.
Helen Mino Faukner (U.S.) edged a fast-closing Jazmine Lowther (Canada) for second. The two were only four minutes apart in 15:50 and 15:54.
Germany’s Katharina Hartmuth wins the 2026 Madeira Island Ultra-Trail Legend 110k on Saturday, April 25. Photo: MIUT/João M. Faria
The women’s top five was:
Katharina Hartmuth (Germany) – 14:54
Helen Mino Faukner (U.S.) – 15:50
Jazmine Lowther (Canada) – 15:54
Valerie Arsenault (Canada) – 17:27
Kelsey Hogan (Canada) – 17:41
Men
By the 58k checkpoint, Vincent Esmiol (France) had gained the lead from Tyler Green (U.S.) and Rod Farvard (U.S.), and Esmiol added time on his chasers the rest of the way. Esmiol won the men’s race in 12:48.
Gaitier Airiau (France) got to second in 12:56 and early pace pusher Green was third in 13:02.
France’s Vincent Esmiol breaks the tape to win the 2026 Madeira Island Ultra-Trail Legend 110k on Saturday, April 25. Photo: MIUT/João M. Faria
The men’s top five was:
Vincent Esmiol (France) – 12:48
Gautier Airiau (France) – 12:56
Tyler Green (U.S.) – 13:02
Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz (France) – 13:24
Ethan Peters (Canada) – 13:36
For the U.S., Tommy Sullivan and Farvard were seventh and 11th in 13:48 and 14:24.
MIUT Advanced
The 77k (48 miles) race had Lindsay Allison (U.S.) and Daniel Jung (Italy) as its winners in 10:26 and 8:52.
MIUT Discover
At 56k (35 miles), this is the longest of the World Trail Majors Short Series races.
Rachel Drake (U.S.) ruled the women’s race in 5:54, and Jane Maus (U.S.) was second, 10 minutes back in 6:04. The two were way up on third-place Ana Paula Rodrigues (Portugal) and her 6:33 finish. Drake finished ninth overall.
Rachel Drake, the 2026 Madeira Island Ultra-Trail Discover women’s winner. Photo: MIUT/João M. Faria
Antoine Charvolin (France) moved quickly from the start of the men’s race, and Anton Gustafsson (Sweden) tried to hang on. By halfway, Gustafsson was over three minutes behind and losing more time. Charvolin, last year’s TDS winner, won big in 5:03. Second-place Billy Curtis (Australia) finished in 5:24, and Gustafsson fell to third in 5:29.
Antoine Charvolin, the 2026 Madeira Island Ultra-Trail Discover men’s winner. Photo: MIUT/João M. Faria
Mt. Fuji 100 Mile – Fujiyoshida, Japan
Both the 100-mile and 40k races were also both part of the World Trail Majors.
Fuji 100 Mile
The long course had a 5:00 p.m. start that ensured everyone ran through the night. The course was 165k with 6,555 meters of climbing. That’s 102 miles and 21,505 feet.
It was Ying Li (China) and Kaytlyn Gerbin (U.S.) at the front of all of the women’s race. The pair were together through the 52k checkpoint, and Li turned that into a seven-minute lead at 74k. Gerbin flipped Li over the next 22k and led the women’s race at 97k by two minutes, in part on a faster aid-station transition. Li wasn’t done, though, and regained the lead as Gerbin faded in the second half. Li won in 22:18, and Gerbin was second in 22:44. It was another two hours before third-place Nami Iwasaki (Japan) finished in 24:52.
Ying Li, the 2026 Mt. Fuji 100 Mile women’s winner. Photo: World Trail Majors
The men’s race had a front three of Chris Myers (U.S.), Yuya Kawasaki (Japan), and Jia-Ju Zhao (China) through five hours of running. Kawasaki was gone from the lead group by 97k, and it was a two-man race between Myers and Zhao for the race’s second half. After 140k together, Myers finally dropped his competitor. Myers won in 17:50. Zhao was second in 18:28, and Kawasaki held on for third in 18:51.
Chris Myers, the 2026 Mt. Fuji 100 Mile men’s winner. Photo: World Trail Majors
Kai 70k
The 70k race wasn’t part of the World Trail Majors, but Klaire Rhodes (U.S.) and Tracen Knopp (U.S.) won in 7:15 and 6:38.
Asumi 40k
Honoka Akiyama (Japan) dominated the women’s race with a big 14-minute win. She finished in 3:24. Yuri Yoshizumi (Japan) topped Brittany Charboneau (U.S.) for second as the two ran 3:38 and 3:41.
Honoka Akiyama, the 2026 Mt. Fuji Asumi 40k women’s winner. Photo: World Trail Majors
Rules are rules, and they enforced them here. Liam Meirow (U.S.) was disqualified after crossing the finish line first. Meirow outsprinted Ru-Qin Wang (China) to cross the line in 2:57, 26 seconds ahead of Wang, who also crossed in 2:57. A post-race kit check showed that Meirow didn’t have a required mobile phone, though, and he was disqualified. Wang became the winner, and Ruy Ueda (Japan) and Hajime Kasagi (Japan) moved up to second and third in 2:59 and 3:00.
Ru-Qin Wang, the 2026 Mt. Fuji Asumi 40k men’s winner. Photo: World Trail Majors
Grand Raid Ventoux by UTMB – Malaucène, France
The long course Ultra Géant de Provence went 125k (78 miles) and had Jennifer Lemoine (France) and Andy Symonds (U.K.) as its winners in 16:28 and 13:07.
The 87k (54 miles) Grande Epopée Ventoux had Ida Sophie Hegemann (Germany) and Baptiste Chassagne (France) 20 and 15 minutes ahead of second place. The winners uniquely finished in 10:00 and 8:00 even.
The Sunday, April 26 Mistral Marathon Trail went 51k, and Tove Alexandersson (Sweden) and Nashon Kiplimo (Kenya) won in 4:30 and 3:58. For Alexandersson, the race was a tune-up for the Zegama Marathon. After being at the front of the race at 16k, and still fourth at 36k, Rémi Bonnet (Switzerland) finished 17th in 4:31. Like Alexandersson, Bonnet is on the Zegama Marathon start list in mid-May too.
French runners Elise Poncet and Frédéric Tranchand won the 26k Trail des Coteaux race in 2:14 and 1:43.
Beijing Changping Mountain Races – Beijing, China
The races were the year’s second and third Mountain Running World Cup contests.
Changping Beijing Uphill
This one went 3.5k in distance with 509 meters of stair-climbing gain on the Great Wall. That’s just over two miles and 1,670 feet. Runners started in 10-second intervals.
Women
Maude Mathys (Switzerland) stormed the Great Wall in 26:13 for the women’s win. Joyce Njeru (Kenya) was the closest in 26:51, and Courtney Coppinger (U.S.) hit the high point finish in third at 28:18.
The women’s top five was:
Maude Mathys (Switzerland) – 26:13
Joyce Njeru (Kenya) – 26:51
Courtney Coppinger (U.S.) – 28:18
Camilla Magliano (Italy) – 28:31
Sara Willhoit (U.K.) – 28:44
[In 2015, Maude Mathys received a warning without suspension from the Disciplinary Chamber for Doping Cases of Swiss Olympic for two positive tests for clomifene (previously clomiphene) after it was determined that she was mistakenly taking the drug without first obtaining a World Anti-Doping Agency Therapeutic Use Exemption.]
The 2026 Changping Beijing Uphill women’s podium (left to right): 2. Joyce Njeru, 1. Maude Mathys, 3. Courtney Coppinger. Photo: WMRA/Marco Gulberti
Men
Italy got the better of Kenya in the men’s race. Isacco Costa (Italy) won the race in 22:31. Costa was 10th at last year’s World Mountain Running Championships Up and Down race. Earlier this year, he ran 1:03 for a half marathon and a 29:08 road 10k. Paul Machoka (Kenya) and Alex Baldaccini (Italy) were second and third in 22:59 and 23:24.
The men’s top five was:
Isacco Costa (Italy) – 22:31
Paul Machoka (Kenya) – 22:59
Alex Baldaccini (Italy) – 23:24
Luca Merli (Italy) – 23:31
Michael Selelo Saoli (Kenya) – 23:31
The Changping Beijing Uphill men’s podium (left to right): 2. Paul Machoka, 1. Isacco Costa, 3. Alex Baldaccini. Photo: WMRA/Marco Gulberti
Changping Beijing Classic Up and Down
The next day, 18k (11 miles) of racing packed in 1,200 meters (3,937 feet) of climbing. Everyone from the Uphill race came back for a redo.
Women
The Uphill podium held, but the order flipped. Njeru got to the finish in 1:45, almost two minutes better than second-place Coppinger.
Mathys, who won on the Uphill course, fell to third in 1:47, 27 seconds behind Coppinger.
The women’s top five was:
Joyce Njeru (Kenya) – 1:45
Courtney Coppinger (U.S.) – 1:46
Maude Mathys (Switzerland) – 1:47
Camilla Magliano (Italy) – 1:48
Jun-Hui Liu (China) – 1:48
Joyce Njeru, the 2026 Changping Beijing Classic Up and Down women’s winner. Photo: WMRA/Christian Rizzi
Men
Only fifth in the Uphill race, Selelo Saoli didn’t wait to go to the front here. He led from the jump and was over two minutes better than everyone else in 1:25.
Costa, the Uphill winner, was second on this up-and-down course in 1:28, and Machoka, the Uphill runner-up, was now third. Both Costa and Machoka ran 1:28 but were 58 seconds apart.
The men’s top five was:
Michael Selelo Saoli (Kenya) – 1:25
Isacco Costa (Italy) – 1:28
Paul Machoka (Kenya) – 1:28
Andrew Douglas (U.K.) – 1:29
Luca Merli (Italy) – 1:30
The next Mountain Running World Cup races are the May 7 and 9 Transvulcania Vertical Kilometer and Half Marathon in Spain’s Canary Islands.
Michael Selelo Saoli, the 2026 Changping Beijing Classic Up and Down men’s winner. Photo: WMRA/Christian Rizzi
Penang Skyrace – Penang, Malaysia
The race was the year’s fifth Skyrunner World Series contest, and it went 30k (19 miles) with 2,250 meters (7,382 feet) of elevation on a jungle track. Both races featured an international front five, with Malaysian runners filling the back half of the top 10.
Svetlana Nurmukhametova (Neutral) outkicked Elena Karanfiloska (North Macedonia) for the women’s win in 4:09. The two were only three seconds apart.
Vanja Cnops (Belgium) was a ways back in third at 4:26.
The women’s top five was:
Svetlana Nurmukhametova (Neutral) – 4:09
Elena Karanfiloska (North Macedonia) – 4:09
Vanja Cnops (Belgium) – 4:26
Karina Anderson (U.S.) – 4:38
Lin-Ping Wang (China) – 4:50
The men weren’t so close. Skyrunning ace Nicolas Molina (Spain) was a runaway winner in 3:34, and Shoma Otagiri (Japan) and Kristjan Chapman (Iceland) were second and third in 3:41 and 3:55.
The men’s top five was:
Nicolas Molina (Spain) – 3:34
Shoma Otagiri (Japan) – 3:41
Kristjan Chapman (Iceland) – 3:55
Weston Hill (New Zealand) – 3:55
Lucas Mouret (France) – 4:04
The next Skyrunner World Series race is the May 3 Skyrace des Matheysins in France.
Additional Races and Runs
Pieniny Ultra-Trail – Szczawnica, Poland
The event hosted mountain classic, short trail, and uphill national championships on courses in the Pieniny Mountains. The uphill race went first on Friday, April 24, and winners Martyna Młynarczyk and Dominick Tabor finished the nearly 7k climb in 44:35 and 38:05. Two days later, Młynarczyk and Maciej Lachowski won the mountain classic 13k race in 59:04 and 51:42. The short trail race was 44k in distance and winners Catherine Dombrowska and David Raspberry did it in 3:47 and 3:10. Full results.
Velká Cena Krkonoš – Špindlerův Mlýn, Czech Republic
This was a national championship too, and climbed 800 meters over 13.6k at the Czech ski area. Tereza Hrochová wins every Czech national championship on every possible terrain — road, cross country, mountain — and she hit the high point first in 61:01. Jáchym Kovář beat the men up in 53:59. Full results.
Bucharest International Half Marathon – Bucharest, Romania
Golden Trail World Series star Madalina Florea (Romania) mixed it up on the roads and was third in 1:10:49. Full results.
Three Peaks Fell Race – Horton-in-Ribblesdale, England, United Kingdom
It was the 71st running of the roughly 23-mile race. Helen Leigh and Tom Evans won in 3:49 and 3:02. Full results.
Ultra-trail Drakensberg – South Drakensberg, South Africa
The long course 160k (99 miles) took in some remote terrain in South Africa. Race winners Rinel McLaren and Thato Kabeli finished the adventure in 41:23 and 24:24. The 62k ran the full length of the famed Giant’s Cup Trail. Defending champ Olivia Dubern (France) won again in the women’s race in 6:42, and Cody Lind (U.S.) led the men in 5:24. Full results.
Olivia Dubern, the 2026 Ultra-trail Drakensberg Giants Cup Ultra 65k women’s winner. Photo: Ultra-trail Drakensberg
Cody Lind, the 2026 Ultra-trail Drakensberg Giants Cup Ultra 65k men’s winner. Photo: Ultra-trail Drakensberg
Royal Gorge Groove – Cañon City, Colorado
Women’s winner Devon Yanko set a new course record in 4:46. Braedon Sitmann won for the men in 4:23. Full results.
C&O Canal 100 Mile – Knoxville, Maryland
Race winners Brittney Yuronich and Yurii Bondarchuk finished in 19:13 and 15:58. Full results.
Hell’s Dells 50k – Prescott, Arizona
Racing around the unique Granite Dells, Latisha Thornton won the women’s race in 7: 58, and Jesus Escalera took home the men’s win in 5:44. Full results
Latisha Thornton, the 2026 Hell’s Dells women’s winner. Photo courtesy of the race.
Jesus Escalera, the 2026 Hell’s Dells men’s winner. Photo courtesy of the race.
Boston Marathon – Boston, Massachusetts
The Monday, April 20 race had great temperatures and a tailwind that helped to push fast times. Kodi Kleven led a lot of the women’s race and finished 14th in 2:24:48. A week after finishing third at the Marathon des Sables Legendary desert race, Des Linden ran 2:35:49. For the men, among the sometimes trail and ultrarunners, CJ Albertson ran 2:09:59. Charlie Lawrence hit a personal best 2:14:23 and Mason Coppi scored an Olympic Marathon Trials qualifying time in 2:15:06. Petter Engdahl (Sweden) had a big positive split to finish in 2:23:37. Full results.
Call for Comments
Wow, that was a lot! What stands out most for you?
We know it’s not a trail or ultra race, but we’ve got to point out unheralded Vincent Mauri of the U.S. running 2:05 completely solo to win the Glass City Marathon in Toledo, Ohio. That is completely mind-blowing.
This might be the first North Macedonia mention in TWIR. Has anyone else been to North Macedonia?
The London Marathon was incredible. Tigst Assefa (Ethiopia) ran a women’s-only world record of 2:15:41, and Sabastian Sawe (Kenya) and Yomif Kejelcha (Ethiopia) both ran under two hours in the men’s race. Des Linden (U.S.) paced a friend to a 3:04 finish, but I otherwise didn’t see any trail or ultrarunners in the results. Who’d we miss?
This Week In Running: April 27, 2026 by Justin Mock.
